av do mar.
//urban study
Funchal, Island of Madeira. 2021
with
António Melo, Beatriz Fabião
Clara Amaral e Pedro valério
Following the work of Professor and Architect Paulo David with the Gabinete da Cidade in Funchal, our class was tasked with creating an analytical study on Avenida do Mar. Our group focused on the theme of Existing Condition, exploring issues such as decay, materiality, and abandonment.
Funchal's geographic location, geomorphology, and proximity to the sea shaped an economy based on trade, making it Madeira’s central commercial hub for centuries. However, successive economic shifts have altered the island’s relationship with the sea, oscillating between solid and liquid elements.
These changes have reshaped its coastal edge, leading to inconsistent uses, materials, and urban experiences. The result is a fragmented and deteriorating waterfront, where disorder reflects a lost connection to both the sea and human scale.
Material decay, mismatched scales, and morphological dissonance mark a disjointed evolution. The study of materiality reveals how permeability between land and sea has shifted over time, influenced by cycles of occupation and abandonment, leaving an incoherent and ever-changing coastline.
//all photographs by Arquivo e Biblioteca da Madeira - Museu de Fotografia da Madeira - Atelier Vicentes